MEYER HERTS

MEYER HERTS (b. January 12, 1897)

            He was born in Kamionka, Lublin district, Poland, into a Hassidic, rabbinic family which drew its pedigree from R. Shoyel Vol (Saul Wahl).  In his youth he moved with his parents to Radom and there studied in religious primary school, synagogue study hall, the small Kotsker synagogue, and with his father, the ritual slaughterer.  He began writing Hassidic tales in 1913, but they were only published in 1922, in Lodzer tageblat (Lodz daily newspaper), where he would later become a regular contributor.  Until WWII he lived in Radom, Kelts (Kielce), and for a time Lodz.  He also wrote for: Folksblat (People’s newspaper), Nayer folksblat (New people’s newspaper), and Lodzer tageblat in Lodz; Unzer ekspres (Our express) in Warsaw; Tog (Day) in Vilna; Togblat (Daily newspaper) in Lemberg; Dos naye lebn (The new life) in Bialystok; Polyesyer togblat (Polesia daily newspaper) in Brisk (Brest); and Yidishes tageblat (Jewish daily newspaper) in New York.  In all these publications, he wrote Hassidic tales, stories, and sketches of Jewish life in Poland.  He also published several newspaper novels in installments in Lodzer tageblat and Nayer folksblat, among them: In opgrunt (At the precipice, 1926) and Di belaydikte (The insulted, 1928), among others.  He was editor, 1923-1938, of the weeklies: Rademer lebn (Radom life), Rademer-keltser vokhnblat (Radom-Kielce weekly newspaper).  He was killed by the Nazi murderers, precisely when and where remains unknown.  His younger brother, VOLF HERTS, a talented author of fiction and a regular contributor to Rademer-keltser lebn (Radom-Kielce life), was also murdered with his older brother, Meyer.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 1; Biblyografishe yorbikher fun yivo (Bibliographic yearbooks from YIVO) (Warsaw, 1928).